Oregonians do not want legislators to play hooky. That’s why we set basic rules for attendance along with consequences for those who don’t abide. Yet despite that mandate, some still pretend the office they’re elected and paid to fill doesn’t come with a work requirement.
When leadership fails, we the people must lead. So my wife and I recently took time out of our schedules to stand on a street corner holding signs, asking a state senator to do her job. We shouldn’t have to do that, but Suzanne Weber began her first legislative session after her oath of office by staging a walkout because of bills she doesn’t like.
The maneuver plays to extremists who’ll risk anything to get their way. It’s also lazy, because it avoids the hard work of building relationships. Even when legislators disagree on bills, there’s a lot of important work that must be done.
The task of budgeting springs to mind. Like many folks, I want to see public revenues used wisely for priority needs. More scrutiny and communication from fiscal conservatives could help cut waste and stretch the utility of hard-earned taxdollars. At a minimum, that requires showing up for work.
According to reports, Oregon’s budget is in better shape than expected. Revenue forecasters project our state will have two billion dollars more to spend or save over the next couple of years. Will that money be stewarded to shore up resilience during challenging times, help us address concerns like public safety, wildfires, and affordable housing?
Not if public leaders are AWOL.
Watt Childress
Nehalem, OR
